Nevada Site Office…

                                                  Nevada Site Office News

News Media Contact:                                                        For Immediate Release:
Darwin J. Morgan, 702-295-3521                                             September 24, 2007
morgan@nv.doe.gov
Kevin J. Rohrer, 702-295-3521
rohrer@nv.doe.gov

      National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Releases Environmental Monitoring Report

        No airborne or groundwater radioactivity from current Nevada Test Site (NTS) operations was detected
off-site in calendar year 2006. This is the assessment of the Nevada Test Site Annual Site Environmental Report
2006, released by the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO). The report
includes monitoring conducted by National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), the management and
operations contractor at NTS, and the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) under the
direction of the Desert Research Institute of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
        Off-site groundwater monitoring is conducted by NSTec and CEMP. NSTec monitored 16 off-site
groundwater wells and 7 off-site springs, and CEMP monitored 20 wells, 4 springs, and 3 surface water
locations in 2006.
        Bruce Hurley, NSO environmental monitoring program manager, noted "The environmental monitoring
results once again confirmed that activities on the NTS are being conducted in a manner that safeguards
workers, the environment, and the public." Mr. Hurley added, "In addition to radiological results, air and water
quality samples confirm that no hazardous constituents were released off the NTS."
        Off-site air monitoring is conducted by the CEMP which is composed of 29 air sampling stations
surrounding the NTS. Two new stations, one in Duckwater, Nevada and one between Shoshone and Tecopa,
California, were added in 2006. The emphasis of the program is to monitor airborne radioactivity and weather
conditions and make the results available to the public. Each station is operated by local citizens, including
science teachers, farmers, and ranchers, who are trained to independently verify monitoring results. These
individuals are knowledgeable on subjects ranging from radiation detection to identifying environmental
concerns for people in their communities. Visit http://www.cemp.dri.edu/cemp.html for more information on
the monitoring program.
        The report is available in the NNSA/NSO Public Reading Facility, located at 755 East Flamingo Road,
Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as on the NNSA/NSO website at http://www.nv.doe.gov.



NSO-07-10                                         - 30 ­
NNSA/NSO Office of Public Affairs          http://www.nv.doe.gov           P.O. Box 98518, Las Vegas, NV 89193-8518